This invention relates generally to methods of connecting one piece of material to another and more particularly to connecting adjacent sheets of pressboard in an abutting manner.
The construction of furniture typically requires one or more pieces of material to be fastened together. There are a variety of connectors and associated methods of attaching adjacent sheets. For example, adjacent sheets can be connected by screws, nails, dowels, or a host of other means.
These methods work well for most materials. Composite materials, however, present unique problems not adequately addressed by conventional attachment methods. Common types of composite materials are pressboard and plywood. These composite materials are the material of choice for low-cost furniture because the materials are made from scraps of wood resulting in low materials cost.
The scraps are "pressed" together under pressure to form the composite material. Although the composite material provides sufficient structural integrity to act as furniture, conventional methods for connecting adjacent sheets can cause the material to split and fracture. For example, connecting a top sheet of pressboard to a bottom sheet of pressboard to form a 90 degree abutting joint by driving a nail or screw through the top sheet into an edge of the bottom sheet can cause the sides of the bottom sheet to fracture. Driving pilot holes into the edge of the bottom sheet helps to alleviate this problem but the bottom sheet is weakened in the process.
Accordingly, a need remains for a method for connecting two adjacent sheets of material in an abutting manner which does not cause the material to fracture or split but yet preserves the structural integrity of the material.